A lot of government procurement is bound by strict "competitive bidding" laws that seek to give everyome and their grandmother a fair shake at the contract, in the name of avoiding graft, corruption, and bribery.

This has led to somewhat of an arms race where government workers desperately collaborate with contractors to find a way to sidestep or subvert the bid process and other contractors aggressively seek to inspect and enforce the process.

Developing in-house governmental talent, institutional knowledge, and capacity is of course strictly off the table, as it would reduce opportunities for private profit in basic government services.